defence – Page 3 – Bergkampesque

The one ingredient Arsenal have and our competitors are missing

September 19, 2013September 19, 2013TotalArsenal

After we lost to the vile Villains, who would have thought Arsenal fans would feel so upbeat just one month later? Don’t worry though; I am not getting carried away, YET.

I know for sure that I am not the only Gooner who was getting worn out by consecutive seasons of transition. At one point, it started to feel we would never come out of transition, as Arsenal appeared to be unable to hold on to its best players season after season.

But this season appears to be different: all key players stayed, even Vermaelen and Sagna! And instead of losing quality players, we have been able to add, but without overdoing it. The latter might be key: too many new (quality) players mean time and effort is required to fit them into our first team, and that would have meant another transitional year. We only have to look at the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and ManCity, and indeed ourselves, in recent years to know that buying loads of players in one go does not lead to instant success.

Looking back at our recent hard-fought wins against Spuds, Sunderland and Olympique Marseille, there is something about this Arsenal team that our competitors are missing; and long may it continue!

Arsenal have resilience and cohesion: we battle as a team and look like we are in February rather than in September, if you know what I mean.

The media have not picked up on this yet, but it will come sooner or later. I expected ManCity to be in transition, and to some extent, Manchester United, but definitely not Chelsea. My wife always tells me not to repeat a good experience by going there, or doing something, again (holiday resorts, restaurants, climb the same mountain etc), and it usually turns out she was right.

Could the same go for the Chavs: is the reunion with the ‘happy one’ destined to fail? I certainly hope so, but let’s not get lulled into a false sense of security, yet. It is too early to say whether Maureen can get his team firing on all cylinders again and a period of adversity might just be the thing he needs to get this team focussed again.

For me, they remain our main competitors for winning the league and the more we can create a gap between us and them now, the better. The Chavs play Fulham at home (derbies are never easy) and then Spuds away, and let’s see how they get through these two games.

In the meantime, we just need to focus on our own games: one game at a time (OGAAT). Although I believe we are ahead of our competition right now in terms of team cohesion and competitiveness on the pitch, I will not get carried away as yet.

There are a few areas that need attention:

We concede goals too often, and too many in total;
We defend too deep, with our midfield often unable/willing to push the opposition back;
The lack of back up for Giroud and our increasing reliance on him.

The first point is just an observation right now; let’s wait and see how our defence/team defending will fare over the next five games. We could really do with a couple of clean sheet to get the ‘back five’ properly settled.

The second point seems more of a theme right now. In recent games Arsenal have been pushed back by the opposition during periods of the game, with our midfielders opting to play close to the defence and not allow any space between the lines. This allowed the opposition to get too close to our box and we have been left exposed at times. We got away with it until now, but I hope that Flamini and Ramsey, Ramsey and Jack, Jack and Flamini, or whichever players are positioned in the double DM pivot, will be able to readdress the balance.

There is a theory (Gerry?) that Arsenal sit back deep on purpose – similar to what Chelsea and Manchester United like/liked to do: absorb pressure, and as soon as the ball is won back, counter attack with speed and direct, incisive passing – and this could well be true. But I reckon, we need to work hard on keeping the opposition ten to fifteen yards further away from the box, as it is likely to cost us against the better teams. It will be interesting to see whether we will be able to push the opposition a bit more away from our box if and when Areta returns to the first team.

We have spoken about our over-dependence on Giroud in previous posts. This is not only about his goal and assist contributions which simply have been fantastic until now; it is also about his ability to be our central hub – our ‘holding’ striker – in attack. Let’s hope he’ll last the whole season somehow and that we get reinforcement in January’s transfer window.

But there are quite a few positives for us Gooners at the moment: Giroud’s and Ramsey’s fine all-round form and ability to find the net; the ease with which both Flamini and Ozil have slotted into the team whilst giving us additional robustness, spirit and creativity; the imminent return of the Verminator and Zorro; and the general focus and battle-readiness of the team.

All of the above will be needed but most importantly we need to take it OGAAT! Arsenal are a team in the groove and the next cup-final is on Sunday.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

OGAAT 🙂

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Gibbs, Nacho, Sagna, Vermaelen: who could be our ‘New DM’?

July 29, 2013July 29, 2013TotalArsenal

Do Arsenal already have a new ‘Beast of a DM’ in their midst, and will he break up the wall of RamTeta?

With Coquelin on loan, Frimpong disappeared in to the background, and no news of a new signing, we are looking rather thin in the double DM-pivot at the moment. Wenger said this week there was a lot of competition for the midfield positions, but I cannot agree with him from a skill-set point of view; how many of our midfielders can actually defend?

The wall of RamTeta is likely to form the core of our midfield once again next season. Many are not entirely happy with this, and want a typical beast of a DM to boss the midfield whilst the rest join our attack as much as possible. Although I would really like to see how Ramsey and Arteta will fare next season, I also want us to get a proper, yet capable of football, DM this summer.

We have discussed the external options in previous posts and we might well still get a DM: your guess is better than mine.

But as others have mentioned on BK in previous comments, there are one or two, or even three or four potential internal options for this crucial position. I am looking for a player who can defend first and for all: strong on the ground and in the air; he also has a fine engine with tons of stamina; has Presence!; reads the game, and positions himself, well; is a decent to good passer of the ball; and ideally has a fantastic long distance shot too.

My four internal candidates are:

Gibbs
Nacho
Sagna
Vermaelen

Gibbs

Our young English LB is a versatile player with plenty of scope for growth. Both Gibbs and Nacho are too good in my opinion to be back-up for each other, and I would not be surprised if we see them play together regularly in the future. I can see Gibbs do the DM position, although I reckon he might miss presence and be too injury prone for such a ‘body on the line’ position. But he could be further developed into a DM by Arsene…

Nacho

Our one and only January signing has really impressed me, even though he is not the fastest of LB’s I have seen. I love his toughness, defending skills, ability to read the game, and general attitude. Monreal would have the Presence! to put fear into the opposition and he is a tough tackler and battler in the air; he is also a good passer of the ball and very organised/disciplined. It remains to be seen, though, whether he can read the game, and position himself effectively, in midfield.

Sagna

Our French monsieur Reliable is a tough defender who reads the game well. He has plenty of Presence! and stamina and, as he has shown in recently friendly games, is a good communicator. Bacary is also a decent passer of the ball and offers forward thrust if needed. Is it time to move him into a more central position i.e. CB or DM?

Vermaelen

Many on BK have suggested to make TV our DM. Apparently, Wenger has said that TV will remain our captain, and as a captain needs to play, and Koz and BFG seem to be our first choice CB-pairing, it makes you think whether the Belgian could be turned into a DM…. Tommy has everything for it, it seems: great defender and tons of Presence!; reads the game well and is a good passer of the ball; he also has plenty of thrust and a great long distance shot. A captain needs to play and we need a beast of a DM; is TV the answer?

And there is one more question: if Arsene were to turn one of these four players into a DM, should they take the first team place of Arteta or Ramsey this season?

Plenty of food for thought, I hope!

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Why not Wanyama?

July 8, 2013July 9, 2013TotalArsenal

The curious case of Arsenal’s transfer business.

With endless links to so many players, one would have expected Arsenal to have made significant moves by now. However, whether it is our manager, board or opposing clubs, transfer activity has been prolonged, excruciating and despondent.

Arsenal fans around the world have called for Arsene to upgrade the defensive midfield position. It’s a position of clear weakness in which we have forced players like Arteta and Ramsey to shift in to. Both have performed well in the role, but each lack the ability to truly make the position their own; it appears that both are needed on the pitch to compensate for the lack of a true DM, and thus hinder the necessary support further up the field in order to unleash the creativity and true attacking, Arsenal football.

Victor Wanyama has been a long-time reported Arsenal transfer target, with Arsene himself speaking to Celtic months ago about a possible purchase of the player. Arsenal legend, Perry Groves, and current Gooner, Aaron Ramsey, have both supported the interest in the player, urging Arsene to bring him to the Emirates.

Arsenal recently announced a sponsorship agreement with Imperial Bank, which will see co-branded debit cards made available in Kenya and Uganda. Not only does the possible transfer of Wanyama to Arsenal make sense from a business perspective, but also from a fan base sense, as many Kenyans are big supporters of the player and such a move would undoubtedly attract more interest in the club as well. All three of club, player and fans could benefit from such a deal, especially if Wanyama can bring stability to our revolving door of DMs and add to the spine of our team, for years to come.

Southampton recently had a £12 million bid accepted by Celtic, but Wanyama blocked the transfer in hopes of moving to a club that will be competing for trophies and play in the Champions League. One has to wonder why at £12 million, Arsene has not made a move for the powerfully built Kenyan. The price is pretty close to market value and, at 22 years of age, Wanyama’s best days are still ahead of him.

So why has Arsene not bid for Wanyama? Is he not good enough for Arsenal? Or is Arsene waiting for a bigger fish, like Fellaini, or one of the Benders to fill the void? Or is our interest in purchasing a DM simply a smokescreen?

Unfortunately, I do not have the answer to these questions, as only Arsene and the Arsenal management team know. However, I would like to hear your input on why you believe Arsene has not bid for Wanyama and whether you think we may register a bid later on in the transfer window.

Written by: Highbury Harmony

Monreal or Gibbs, or both? And what to do with Santos?

July 4, 2013TotalArsenal

Nacho: 'you talking to me'. — Nacho: ‘you talking to me’.

Please note: this is a discussion post, containing a short intro in which I aim to give a bit of background info on the topic, in order to stimulate a wide-ranging debate.

The left back/ wing back situation has not been a settled one ever since the departure of Gael Clichy. Some might argue that the Frenchman was actually never at the required level for Arsenal, but I reckon this would be a bit harsh. He was never anywhere near as good as Cashley Cole, but he did more than ok in most of the seasons for Arsenal.

Not many of us were really sad to see him go, though, and if Gibbs had stayed fit for a (number of) sustained period(s), we would probably have been fine in the LB area since Clichy left. But he didn’t, and Arsene opted for additional cover with the last minute buy of Andre Santos from Fenerbahce.

Santos was full of confidence when going forward, and my favourite Santos moment was his cool and professional away-goal against the Chavs the season before last. However, defensively he showed some weaknesses in terms of positioning, fitness levels/speed, one-on-one defending and disciplined, defensive team play. He had a number of dodgy performances this season and it became clear the Brazilian had lost a lot of his confidence. Arsene acted decisively by buying Nacho Monreal last January, and sending Santos out on loan simultaneously.

If Kieran Gibbs could stay fit for most of the coming season, Arsene will be faced with a very-nice-to-have-dilemma: who should he play at LB: Nacho or Kieran.

For me, this is a hard decision to make. The Spaniard is more level headed and appears to be built stronger, but he struggled at times with getting used to the tempo and ferocity of the PL. It is fair to say that Nacho will have to improve further to make a real claim for the LB position.

Once Kieran gets into the groove, he can be fantastic, both defensively and going forward. He quickly developed a good understanding and cooperation with Podolski, and for a while we were most dangerous on the left wing of the team. However, as he gets injured regularly, he often struggles to play at the required level straightaway, and his positioning and concentration levels are often under par during these periods.

If both players are fully fit, it seems to be a shame to place one on the bench, and this raises the question whether we could play them both on the left of the team, say in a 4-4-2/4-4-1-1 formation. Nacho could be our LB and Gibbs or LW. This could only work though in a four-in-midfield formation, and our still young Englishman would have to improve his crossing in the box significantly. Or perhaps, it should be Gibbs at LB and Nacho as our LW…. Let us know your views on his.

And finally, what to do with Santos: is there still a space in the squad for him, or should he be loaned out for the season again?

Written by: TotalArsenal.

The one defender to complete our set into a title winning defence

June 25, 2013June 26, 2013TotalArsenal

One of the positions in our team for which there is general consensus we need to strengthen, is at centre back (CB). Towards the end of the season we found a defensive stability in Koscielny and Mertesacker that hasn’t been seen since Keown and Campbell were shutting out opposition strikers back in the early 2000’s.

These two – Kos and Per – formed a defensive partnership that saw us finish the league as the third best team in the league defensively. All I can say about this, is whatever Steve Bould is doing is working wonders. It’s never easy to come in and teach the same set of players new tactics – especially in one season – and expect to see such progress, but he has pulled it off.

However, Thomas Vermaelen, our club captain, had a torrid season by his extremely high standards. Mistakes plagued his game, and at some point, I couldn’t even recognize the player who barely a year before was the obvious successor to RVP.

That said though, we know how good he is and therefore any calls for him to be moved on are seriously myopic. Then we have Squillaci, who all I’m going to say about him is, thank God he has been moved on. Our final two CBs are Djourou and Miquel. Djourou was loaned to the Bundesliga, and quite honestly, I’d rather he stays there permanently. Miguel is talented but still too young and raw to be promoted to the first team.

This means that we have three functional centre backs. Everyone knows that every top team especially in the EPL needs a minimum of 4 good defenders. This is why we have been linked with a host of defender such as Adil Rami, Matts Hummels, Ashley Williams, Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Martin Skrtel, among others.

I would, however, like to throw a certain defender’s name in the ring; Phil Jagielka.

Jagielka is a 30 year old CB who captains Everton and plays for the English national team. About 3 years ago we were strongly chasing him, but the then Everton manager David Moyes, refused to fold. For me, he ticks all the boxes. He is tall (good in the air), strong, experienced, has a fantastic mentality, a tough but fair tackler, a leader and a fantastic reader of the game. Also for a 30 year old, he is extremely athletic and is in the prime of his abilities. In my opinion, compared to all the players we have been linked with, save for maybe Hummels, he is a far superior option.

I watched him ever since he shut Man Utd out on their opening game, and I must say I am outraged that Rio Ferdinand was awarded a spot in the team of the season, ahead of him. Jagielka was absolutely solid all season and a very big factor why Everton have performed the way they have in the past few seasons. Plus, his consistency is amazing. I watched about 26 Everton games last season and he did not have a single bad game. Not even one. In fact, the more I watched Everton play, the more I wondered why he is not plying his trade in a top four team, because he certainly has the ability. Even when he dons the three lions jersey, his class is there for all to see.

Like I said earlier, Per and Kos have formed a fantastic partnership. This is largely attributed to the fact that the two complement each other. Kos athleticism, tackling, ball playing skills and all round charisma is complemented by Per’s composure, reading of the game and aerial ability. Even by Arsene’s admission, Per is not the tidiest of players nor the best, but he gets the job done. Please note that I am not by any means downplaying his abilities or contribution to the team.

Jagielka performs the same function for Everton except he IS a very good player. He is faster, a better tackler, more energetic, and despite Per’s height advantage, is very good in the air. This is evidenced by the number of goals he scores with his head and the number of aerial clearances he makes. He is also a much more physical player. When you compare Jagielka and Mertesacker, the former comes out on top in my opinion. For me, he would represent a significant upgrade to Per and would form an even meaner defence alongside Kos. He would also push the level of competition for places in that back line up a notch.

I couldn’t tell you how much he would cost if we went in for him, or even if he would be interested in joining us, but with Moyes and probably a few key players leaving, you never know. Plus with the current building we are doing, our strong finances and champions league football, we would have a very strong hand at the negotiation table.

I’d like to repeat that this is all my opinion. I feel Jagielka is the kind of player who would form a title winning defence, and we should really consider taking advantage of Everton’s period of transition, and snap him up.

Written by: Marcus

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Open letter to the Verminator: TV5, time to fight for your place!

May 26, 2013TotalArsenal

Dear Thomas Vermaelen – De Leeuw van Vlaanderen (the Lion of Flanders),

I don’t know what is going on regarding your current position at the club. As it is the ‘silly season’, and you have been on the bench for ten out of the last eleven club games, it is inevitable that rumours will be circulated regarding your future at the club. There might not be a single bit of truth in it, as we are aware of the manipulative, mendacious nature of the majority of the professional football sites and papers.

I hope you and the manager have no intention whatsoever to discontinue your stay at our beloved Arsenal.

But just in case there is some truth in the rumours you could be leaving the home of football this summer, I am writing to you to say: stay put and fight for your place. You are a Gunner and you belong at The Arsenal!

Sometimes it is good to allow a bit of doubt and humility into your life, in order to make progress. The captaincy has not worked out and I reckon this is due to you being more of a specialist than a born leader. We have all come to love you for your passion, tenacity, controlled aggression and fearlessness as our left-sided CB. But since you have become captain, your performances have often been below-par. I believe the combination of having – feeling – the responsibility to lead your defence, and the team as a whole, has diminished your ability to concentrate on your defensive duties, and this has led to a number of painful and costly mistakes.

Yet, we all know what a fantastic kuitenbijter (carves-biter) of a CB you are, and how you always play with pride and love for the shirt. That’s how we’ve come to love you, and it’s what we are all longing for you to return to as soon as possible.

Towards the end of the season, the BFG and Koz were rightly the chosen CB-pairing, and I love both guys as much as I do you, Verminator. But there is a whole summer to get back to your very best, and to give Wenger a proper selection headache for the new season.

This is the time for you to fight: laat ze allemaal een poepie ruiken! You are 27 and the very best years are ahead of you; you are the beast of a CB we all want and need.

First thing to do, is to humble yourself a bit and tell Arsene you don’t want the armband any more – that it is not for you. Wenger can give it permanently to Arteta, or even Mertesacker (my preference). Let others lead the team and/or the defence, and you just concentrate on being the best CB in the PL again.

Thomas you have all the qualities – technically, tactically and psychologically – to become an absolute CB-beast again: the one who treats his opponents like vermin that needs devouring; the one who towers above everyone, and vacuum-cleans everything up in front of, or behind, him; the one who inspires his team by example and score pulsating (late) goals which make us grab all the points.

Come on Thomas, please stay put and fight for your place. This is no time for turning. This is the time to refocus and come out fighting, and to become a footballer in full.

I want to hear the Lion of Flanders ROAR again and to see you play with the passion and power that only you possess.

Ik weet dat je het kan, je moet enkel in jezelf geloven!

This is the Verminator, we want back:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yvcl541r60U

Written by: TotalArsenal.

What if Arsenal bought no new defenders? Time to promote Miguel and Yennaris.

May 22, 2013May 22, 2013TotalArsenal

What if Arsenal bought nobody this season?

I know this is sacrilege to the transfer horny hordes out there, but it is a necessary question to ask in my opinion. The paint on the old season has not even dried and everybody is talking greedily about the players we need to buy – and I have been as guilty as anybody. We all feel we have £70m+ burning in our holsters! 🙂

Yet, I feel there is not enough recognition for the incredible feat our boys have achieved since our painful loss against the Spuddies.

Winning the last five away games in a row is worthy of high praise, and so is winning eight of the last ten games. Add to this our five clean sheets (six including Bayern away) and conceding only five goals in 10 PL games, and we can only say that our boys have done us proud to fight back with all they had after the derby defeat.

The key question we have to ask is whether we can, and should, build further on this team.

To do this properly, let’s assume nobody is going to be signed in the summer, so we can analyse the strength as well the potential in this team going forward. For good order, and to avoid the nutbums to come on to the blog in hordes, I am not saying we should not buy anybody this season.

In three separate posts, I am going to look at the areas of GK/defence, midfield and attack.

Defence

Our defence has improved from last season, conceding 37 goals compared to 49 a year ago. Yet, we know that, except for the last ten games, they have been inconsistent: often conceding unnecessarily and early on in games, after which the team is faced with big mountains to climb. In the crucial one to one matches with our nearest rivals, our defence has not been good enough, especially in the first halves of our encounters with them.

It would be wrong to put all the blame on Vermaelen, as everybody in our defence has made costly mistakes this season. It is also fair to say that as a unit they were not provided with enough protection, and the switch towards a more conservative double-DM formation in which Ramsey and Arteta were ordered to stay tightly together and focus first and for all on their defensive duties, rather than venturing forward constantly, has made a big difference.

I feel the biggest problem for Vermaelen was his inability to combine the leadership duties, both of the defence AND the team as a whole, with performing his own CB duties to a high level of concentration and execution. He failed in this, and many of us could see from quite early on that Vermaelen was not made for the captaincy.

Other than instructing Ramsey to play more conservatively and closer to Arteta, the pivotal decision in turning this season round has to be the benching of the Lion of Flanders. It allowed the BFG to become the organiser/leader of defence and Arteta to take on the leadership responsibilities of the whole team.

I love TV5, and really hope he is going to stay put, and fight for his place. But this cannot be as our captain, and he will have to work very hard to dislodge the more and more solid CB-pairing of BFG and Koz.

There are some vague rumours that TV will leave this summer, but if we want to consolidate the newly found strength of our defence, Arsene needs to do everything to keep him. One injury to either Koz or BFG, and TV gets another chance to work himself back into the team. We need at least one quality, experienced CB on the bench, and TV would be ideal for this. The question is whether he would be happy to accept this scenario…

With Squillaci surely leaving now and Djourou probably not returning to the squad after the summer, there should now be a chance for Miquel. He is a very stylish player who lacks experience, and I would love to see him get first team games next season. We also now know that Sagna can play centrally, and so we should have both two experienced – Vermaelen and Sagna – and a talented option to cover for the CB positions. However, this does mean we need to hold on to both the Belgian and Frenchman, and if we don’t, we need to replace them as we need to keep a certain level of experience within back four.

Our current CB-pair of BFG and Koz is a combination of the tall and stable organiser type with the ‘first-soldier’, highly energetic type of CB. I reckon in TV and also Sagna we have more than decent replacement for the first-soldier type CB, but we do not have another ‘organiser’ type, ready to slot in.

I believe that Miquel has great potential for this, but he would not be adequate cover (yet) if and when the BFG is out for a long period. Perhaps Koz can be turned into this type but I am not entirely sure whether this would benefit us much. TV is not that type and neither is Sagna, so this is an area Wenger might have to look at.

We are likely to see an enormous ‘Battle of the FB’s’ next season, as Sagna and Jenkinson will compete for the RB position and Gibbs and Nacho for the LB position. It is fantastic that we have two good players for each position, and only if Sagna were to leave would we need to find experienced cover – and that is why I believe Arsene will not let the Frenchman go: what would be the point?

It might also be time to promote Nico Yennaris, who can play in midfield but also as a FB. It would allow us to use Sagna more regularly as a CB – especially in the domestic cup games – and give both Jenkinson and him a break now and again.

I reckon Szczesny has done enough to convince Wenger he is still our nr.1 with a number of good performances since he returned to the first team. The key issue remains whether we have good enough back up in case the’ Pole in Goal’ gets injured, suspended or suffers a huge drop in form. Mannone and Fabianski both had stints in the first team and both did relatively very well.

But I still think this is the one area were Arsene might invest a bit of money to bring in a PL-experienced goalkeeper. However, if he decides not to then the risk would be relatively low.

So all in all, our defence is looking pretty good and if we keep everybody there is no urgent need to bring in new players.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

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Koz – BFG – Szczesny: An Impenetrable Triangle is Slowly Forming

May 16, 2013May 16, 2013TotalArsenal

Since Arsene dropped his captain and first choice goalkeeper to the bench, after the painful and costly loss against you know who, Arsenal conceded just five goals in ten games: 0.5 goals per game.

Vermaelen has started just one game out of those ten (against Norwich) but Szczesny was reintroduced to the first team against Everton, after which he started in all games again (five in total). Koscielny basically took his chance with both his floppy ears and never looked back. Fabianski did well in his five consecutive games, conceding just three goals. But then he got injured, apparently, and his last chance to claim the nr.1 goalkeeper position at Arsenal went up in smoke.

We will have to see what will happen with Fabianski and Vermaelen this summer, but I reckon not many of us are expecting them to be here come September. I hope the Lion of Flanders will stay and fight for his position, but for Fabianski it would no doubt be best to find himself a team where he will be regarded as the nr.1 goalkeeper.

Nine games of (new) partnership between Koz and Mertesacker are not really enough to make a strong claim about the long term viability of it, but with conceding just four goals in all games, including Bayern, MU, Swansea and West Brom away, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic.

Of course we should take into account the additional support our defence has had in those last ten games, by both playing Arteta and Ramsey in a more conservative and deeper set-up in midfield and by clipping the wings of our full backs to some extent. But the German and Frenchman have formed a great partnership that deserves credit.

For me, despite Fabianski doing well too in his games, both Koz and BFG are not complete without Szczesny behind them. This is a very promising triangle in the heart of our defence and I am starting to feel very positive about it going forward. Somehow, these three get the best out of each other, and the whole is a lot greater than the sum of its parts.

Szczesny is an extrovert and ‘confidence-player’, who imposes himself on his opponents. He also has great technical ability, but his cocky-nature can get him into trouble which sometimes leads to poor and costly mistakes.

Mertesacker is an imposing figure and a natural organiser; he has great overview, and is a fine reader of the game. He is also calm under pressure and deals well with personal mistakes and set-backs for the team. However, we also know he is not the fastest and gets beaten in one-on-one situations at times.

Koscielny is very energetic and athletic, a great tackler and strong in the air. He reads the game, and positions himself, very well. But, his over-exuberance makes him prone to the odd mistake which sometimes leads to costly (own) goals against us.

However, Koz has hardly made any mistakes recently and the same goes for Mertesacker and Szczesny. There seems to be a growing a fine understanding between the Frenchman, the Pole and the German and they are compensating for each other weaknesses to a large extent.

Mertesacker’s organisational skills and natural calm seem to help Koz and Szczesny with balancing their energy levels, composure and decision making. Koz and Szczesny’s speed of thinking and ability to act quickly and decisively are covering well for the BFG’s slowness in turning and vulnerability of being left in a one-on-one with fast and agile attackers.

The three of them are bit by bit forming an almost impenetrable triangle and it also looks like the FB’s are both benefiting from this, as well as adding further value to our solidness at the back.

Sagna and Mertesacker work well together, but I have also noticed how Jenkinson and Mertesacker form a fine partnership on the right side of our defence – both compensating for each other’s weaknesses (inexperience and positioning in case of Jenkinson).

Koz and Gibbs are also starting to gel and support each other better and the same goes for Koz and Nacho. Although, the latter partnership is still more of a work in progress.

All in all, there are some really positive signs with regards to our defensive solidity and although it is still early days, I reckon this is an area Wenger and Bould do not have to worry about too much this summer (except for adding some strength in depth in case Vermaelen does not stay).

But would you agree with that?

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Arsenal already have a ‘new’ CB: the ideal partner for Vermaelen

April 15, 2013TotalArsenal

Mr. Reliable. Sagna has been one of the best right backs in Europe in recent years.

Come the summer transfer window, most Arsenal fans are expecting to see Wenger bring in a new defender, as it is clear that Johan Djourou, André Santos and Sebastien Squillaci are no longer in Arsène Wenger’s future plans; with Djourou and Santos put on loan for the rest of the season, it being extremely likely that they will be sold in the summer, and Squillaci told he can leave for free when his contract expires at the end of this season.

This now means we only have three CBs who Wenger deems being capable of having the quality required to play in our matches. Some may say that Miquel can come into our defence when needed, but I feel, although Ignasi may be in Arsène Wenger’s future plans, Wenger does not think he is ready yet. In reality, Wenger needs four CBs in which he can place his trust for squad rotation reasons, and as during long football seasons, many players are likely to sustain injuries at one point or another.

Many fans say that we need a new experienced CB to solve our defensive problems but there is an issue regarding the addition of a new CB.

The CB partnership is one of the most important partnerships on the pitch and any new CB we acquire would need time to settle in at Arsenal; adapt to our style of football; get to know his team-mates, and most importantly, the CBs who he will be playing alongside with. In most cases, players need at least one season to fully settle down, and I am not sure we can afford to wait for a new CB to settle in and form partnerships in one of the most important positions in our team.

People may point to the fact that Amorebieta will be available on a free, but we cannot be sure that he will come to our club. Amorebieta also does not seem much different from the CBs we already have in Mertesacker, Koscielny and Vermaelen. His size, physical and technical attributes seem very similar to our other CBs. If he did come to Arsenal, I do not see him offering anything different to our defence, which we do not already have, or improving our overall ability as a team to defend.

That is why I proposing that Sagna’s position in our team should be changed from RB to CB starting from next season.

I feel Sagna playing as a CB for us could be the answer to solving our defensive problems caused by our current CBs for a number of reasons.

Many times during this season we have conceded goals because of our CBs often panicking when put under pressure by opposing players in possession, which has led to them giving the ball away or making mistakes when in possession. Sagna is very reliable and composed in possession, and has been so in his many years at playing at RB. Pairing Sagna with one of our CBs would improve our overall defensive composure in these types of situations.

Also, because Sagna has been at the club for so many years, he will not need time to settle in at Arsenal and adapt to our style of play. Sagna will not need to learn how to play Wengerball as he has been playing at Arsenal for a number of years and knows our system very well. When Mertesacker first came to Arsenal he needed time to settle in, build partnerships with our other CBs and learn to play Wengerball. During this time our defence was often weak, which led to our defence making many schoolboy errors, which we were punished for in many of the matches we played.

In addition, Sagna playing as a CB will also offer something very different to our defence. He is much more agile and faster than our other CBs because of his smaller stature and body type in comparison to our current CBs. This would mean that he would be perfectly suited for dealing with the quicker and more nimble players in the opposing teams; where in many matches this type of player from opposing teams have used their speed, agility and dribbling skills to score vital goals against us, with our current CBs failing to stop these players because of their lack of speed and agility.

Mertesacker and Sagna both have the ability to read the game which makes them very effective players when it comes to breaking up attacks. We have seen this already this season with our defence being improved dramatically when Mertesacker is paired with Koscielny or Vermaelen. But now, with Wenger convinced that our best CB pairing is Mertesacker and Koscielny, our captain Vermaelen seems no longer to have a place in our starting line-up and does not have a CB partner.

If Sagna could be linked up with Vermaelen, we could have two really good CB pairings. In each of these CB pairings we would have two players who compliment each other technically and physically.

Wenger, early this season, said that in 1-2 years Sagna will be ready to play as a CB. Why not give Sagna the opportunity to play CB for us next season?

Wenger would have to buy a new RB to replace Sagna, and a new RB would also need time to settle in and adapt to the style of football we play, but it would be much easier for this new player to do this, as there would not be as much emphasis on this player to have to form an important partnership, compared to a new CB.

Please note, I am proposing that Sagna is turned into a CB (If he does not leave in the summer) for next season with Wenger buying a new experienced RB.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the topic.

Written by: AFC.

Same back-five, Gervinho or Podolski on LW, Cazorla or Rosicky in ‘hole’? WBA pre-view.

April 5, 2013April 6, 2013TotalArsenal

PANews+BT_N0143191360416256190A_I1 — Santi has scored four in his last five games for Arsenal – Let’s hope he will continue his fine form tomorrow! 🙂

A week without Arsenal playing football can feel very long around this time of the year. It is a real shame we are out of all cup competitions and only have the league to supply us with the much needed footie-drugs. However, the waiting is over as we will be playing the Baggies at the beautifully named The Hawthorns tomorrow afternoon.

There can be only respect for Steve Clarke. With Villa fighting for survival at the bottom of the league and Birmingham playing a division lower, WBA are punching well above their weight at the moment. The Baggies BoD obviously know how to select and attract high calibre managers, and although Clarke is not a big name as such, he clearly is doing a fantastic job at the moment. Of course, this is only Clark’s first season, and as his counterpart at Villa will know, a manager can go from rising star to having to endure a season-long dogfight from one season to the next.

West Brom are in a not too dissimilar position as Swansea at the moment. They are save and know they have done relatively very well this season. It is now all about finishing as high as possible in the table, but that is not necessarily the best driver for starting a game really motivated. Arsenal on the other hand, are fighting for every point till the end of the season, and a win tomorrow will put us, at least for 24 hours, above Chelsea in a Champions League spot.

That is the sort of incentive that should get the boys really up for tomorrow’s encounter, and I expect us to be hungry and focussed from the start. Despite Theo and Jack’s continued absence, and Diaby being out for the rest of the season, Arsene still has a strong squad to choose from. He will even have to disappoint a number of players who have had plenty of first team football already this season.

Defence

I reckon Arsene will start the same back-five as he did against Reading last week. I am pretty sure the central triangle of GK and CB’s will remain unchanged: Fabianski – BFG – Koz. Arsene has the luxury of having four quality and fit FB’s to pick from; I reckon he’ll go with experience and pick Sagna and Monreal, but he could surprise us once again, with going for either Jenkinson or Gibbs, or both, in tomorrow’s line-up.

Midfield

I am going for Arteta and Ramsey in the double pivot, and I reckon they will be given instructions to play once again conservatively: stay close together and in line, and focus hard on keeping it tidy in front of the defence. For Arteta this comes naturally, but Ramsey will once more have to play really disciplined. In front of the Spanish-Welsh pivot, I am expecting Rosicky to direct our play tomorrow. Rosicky’s experience and ability to give our team focus and shape will be much needed against the Baggies.

Attack

I would love Podolski to start up-front, but I reckon Arsene will stick to what he has preferred most of the season, and play Giroud in the CF position instead. I would also like to see Gervinho start with either Cazorla or Podolski on the other wing, but I feel that Arsene will want to start with both Pod and Cazorla on the wings, which means Gervinho, and also the Ox, will miss out tomorrow.

Arsenal won five out of their last six PL games and let’s hope we’ll make it six out of seven tomorrow. However, WBA have lost only four out of their fifteen home games until now, so it won’t be easy. There is no time for complacency: only a fully committed and focussed performance against The Baggies will give us a good chance to come back with all three points. Anything less and it could all turn sour again.

Come on You Rip Roaring Gunners – Do us proud!

Written by: TotalArsenal.